The ants guide
Identification, behaviour, risks and prevention: answers to the most common questions about ants.
A colony built around the queen
An ant colony is organised around one or more egg-laying queens, protected and fed by sterile worker ants that forage for food and maintain the nest. This structure is exactly why store-bought products fall short: they kill the visible workers without ever reaching the queen, who rebuilds the colony within weeks — a problem our ant treatment is designed to solve.
Why do ants come indoors?
Ants enter homes searching for food (sugar, fat) and moisture, following chemical trails (pheromones) they lay down to guide the rest of the colony. A single scout ant can turn a kitchen into an ant highway within hours.
A nuisance more than a health risk
Unlike rodents or bed bugs, ants pose limited health risk to humans in most cases — the main issue is food contamination and everyday disruption. Some species can cause structural damage, however (carpenter ants), by tunnelling through damp wood, which is worth a professional diagnosis without delay.
Treating the source, not just the surface
Effective treatment depends on reaching the nest itself, often located outdoors (under a terrace, inside a cavity wall) even when ants are seen indoors. Our Certibiocide-certified technicians use targeted baits, compliant with official biocide product regulations, that worker ants carry back to the colony themselves — ensuring lasting elimination rather than a temporary retreat. In a food business, this treatment also fits into a regulatory context — see our article ants in a food business: what the regulations require.
How much does treatment cost?
Ant treatment starts at €310 including tax for an area up to 50 sqm, with all 3 visits included. Learn more about our ant treatment or see the full breakdown on our pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Ants: the full FAQ
The black garden ant and the pharaoh ant (small, yellow-brown) are the most common indoors, measuring 2 to 5mm depending on species and caste.
They mainly search for food (sugar, fat, crumbs) and water, following chemical trails (pheromones) left by scout ants.
Most household species aren't dangerous to humans, but they can contaminate food and, for some species, damage structures.
A queen can lay several hundred to several thousand eggs over her lifetime, allowing a colony to grow very quickly if not treated at the source.
They lay down pheromone trails that other ants follow, forming the well-known "lines" of ants leading from a food source back to the nest.
Yes, some species like the pharaoh ant operate with multiple queens and interconnected satellite nests, which makes full elimination harder.
Ants have a distinct narrow "waist" between thorax and abdomen and bent antennae, while termites have a more uniform body and straight antennae — termites also attack wood.
Vinegar or chalk may temporarily repel visible ants, but never reach the queen or the nest — the colony quickly rebuilds afterwards.
Colony activity increases with warmer weather, a period when ants forage more to feed a growing colony.
Quickly cleaning up crumbs and sugary residue, storing food in airtight containers and sealing entry cracks greatly reduce the risk of ants returning.
An ant invasion at home?
The longer you wait, the more established the colony becomes. Our teams respond 24/7.
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